A Little Too Hot
by Madame Kiksters
Summary: Natsume cooks dinner for Matoba and Nyanko. Shiki!Matoba


**Summary:**

 **Natsume cooks dinner for Matoba and Nyanko.**

 **Notes:**

 **This was inspired by one of my Line friend's drawing of a silly, cute shiki Matoba**

* * *

Natsume looked over both his shoulders carefully. Eyes peeled for any sign of his shiki. Nyanko sat in the corner of the room, eyes focused on the meat sizzling in one of the pans in front of the human. There was also a pot of rice steaming away (because Natsume hadn't gotten around to buying an electric rice cooker), and a separate pot for some mixed vegetables.

He wasn't as good as Touko when it came to cooking, but she'd insisted on showing him a few dishes before he moved out. One of the easiest was yakimeshi, but first he needed to make food so he could compile them into the simple meal.

His arm, from hand to elbow, was getting warm from stirring the meat. He'd already rolled up his sleeves, and still the heat was unbearable. Maybe he should ask the Fuijwaras about any meals that didn't require so much heat all at once.

He checked over his shoulder once more before deeming the coast clear. He cast a quick glance at Nyanko before he stepped away from the stove and undid the top four buttons of his shirt. He tilted his head back and sighed into the air, closing his eyes, he enjoyed the brief reprieve from the heat. A moment later, he found more heat lined up against his back.

His brow wrinkled with agitation, "Matoba, it's too hot for this."

Arms wrapped around his waist and his shiki's chin rested on his shoulder. One of the hands slid up, aiming for the exposed skin, before Natsume smacked his hand away.

"Not now. It's too hot!" Natsume complained, his face flushed from more than just the heat of the stove.

Matoba returned his hands to Natsume's waist as he nuzzled into the human's neck. Natsume tried to focus on preventing the meat from burning to the bottom of the pan as he felt heated breath brush against his ear.

"You could take off some of your clothes." Matoba's silky voice offered.

Natsume didn't even bother responding as he turned down the heat to the stove and twisted around in Matoba's arms. His neck craned to look up at the shiki and he could almost see under the seal over his right eye from this angle.

"Matoba, if you don't stop right now, the meat is going to be burned and then we'll go hungry."

"No, the hell, we won't!" Nyanko protested from his corner in the room. He'd returned to reality when the meat had stopped sizzling in the pan. "I'm going to eat Matoba if he costs me my meal!"

Matoba paused before he pulled Natsume in front of him to use as a shield. "Don't let him eat me, Natsume!"

The human sighed as he tried to soothe the headache that was rapidly forming. Nyanko glared at Matoba over Natsume's shoulder and watched as the devious shiki had the audacity to smirk at him!

Roaring with bestial rage, the chubby cat launched an assault at the presumptuous shiki. With a playful laugh, Matoba spun out of the way and left Natsume alone as he ran from the room.

With the two youkai distracted, Natsume finally was able to finish cooking dinner. He turned off all of the burners and finished setting the table as he listened to the two spirits scuffle in the next rooms. He shook his head fondly as he finished setting up the plates and putting food on them for the youkai before he called the other two for dinner.

"Food!" Nyanko cheered as he slammed into the room first. He hopped into the chair Natsume always had pulled out for him and began eating like he hadn't just had a fishcake snack an hour ago.

Matoba entered with a little more grace as he adjusted his clothes from the roughhousing he and Nyanko tended to do. He ducked to make sure his horns wouldn't hit the doorway like he always did. He'd confessed to Natsume that he'd knocked into a low hanging tree branch once and had vowed to never experience something like that again.

Seating himself across from Natsume he thanked him for the food before calmly eating his meal. Another thing Matoba had confessed was when Natsume had asked him why he didn't ever sit next to Natsume. The answer had been so that he could look at him and enjoy his face more easily while he ate. Natsume tried not to question Matoba's actions again after that.

He felt his shiki's foot slide against his as he ate, and the two shared a smile while Nyanko was focused on his meal. Natsume leaned over his food to hide his blush. He didn't know that Matoba could see his ears turn red.

Nyanko finished quickly, as usual, and demanded another helping, also not out of the norm. Natsume scooped another serving onto the cat's plate and set it down in front of him. He didn't wait a moment for it to cool, like he normally did, and poor Nyanko-sensei burned his tongue.

Matoba laughed at the cat's misery, or his stupidity, "What's the matter, too hot?"

Nyanko's creaky voice was muffled by his tongue peeking out of his mouth, "Shut your trap you arrogant little-"

"Here, Nyanko-sensei. Drink some water." Natsume offered as he shot a glare at Matoba, trying not to laugh himself and upset the cat.

Nyanko shot him a look of gratitude as he used his chubby little paws to gulp down the cooling beverage. "See, Matobrat? Natsume love me the most still!"

Matoba looked at Natsume for confirmation, and the other pinched the bridge of his nose. Wondering how he wasn't used to the youkai's shenanigans by now, Natsume sighed with exasperation.


End file.
